Auction : JEWELRY, SILVER, GLASS ART, FASHION and TOYS
Sterling Silver Sensation | April 28 at SJ Auctioneers
An exquisite Sterling Silver Collection From Buccellati, Tiffany & Co, Gorham, Georg Jensen, and More are up for Auction. The Designer Silver are amongst the strong demand for antique and savvy collectors as they bring tradition and hand made expertise with a history of its era.
Addition lots include collectibles of Fine Jewelry, Decor, Toys, Disney Lalique, Swarovski,
New York: Asia Week New York–the only event of its kind devoted to Asian Art in the United States– concluded its 16th edition on March 21st with a triumphant close. Over the course of eight days, twenty-seven galleries and six auction houses– Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Freeman’s|Hindman, Heritage, and Sotheby’s– collectively tallied an impressive $125,041,630 in sales.
Brendan Lynch, chairman of Asia Week New York, noted an uptick in visitor numbers compared to 2024, with many purchases made by U.S. museums. “There was a resumed presence of private and institutional buyers from East Asia, and continued buoyancy in prices for Indian Contemporary and Modern Art,” he said. Looking ahead, Lynch expressed enthusiasm for resuming year-round coverage of Asian cultural events and planning for the 2026 edition.
The week launched with gallery open houses and the annual reception at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which welcomed over 500 collectors, dealers, curators, auction house experts, museum patrons, and Asian art enthusiasts. Together, they celebrated a spectacular selection of artworks spanning over six millennia.
As of press time, 74 percent of the participating 27 galleries reported results. Here is a snapshot of the week’s activity according to specialty:
Japanese and Korean
The Art of Japan reported the successful sale of approximately 25 Japanese woodblock prints, driven by their latest acquisitions.
Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. principal Beatrice Chang reported the sale of over two dozen ceramic vessels. Artists whose works found new homes included Hamada Shoji, Shin Sang-ho, and Tomimoto Kenkichi, affirming the robust market for high-quality ceramic art.
Veronica Miller, principal of Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints, said that she had a steady flow of collectors and curators, who were enticed by her single artist exhibition; Love of Place: The Landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). His scarce pre-earthquake Seaside Cottage, Himi, Etchu, and Night Rain, Teradomari were quickly snapped up because of their scarcity.
Ippodo Gallery, participating for the first time from its new TriBeCa location, saw a strong turnout and significant sales. More than two dozen works—many in the mid-five-figure range—were acquired by collectors. Highlights included Luminous Raden Fubuki Caddy by Terumasa Ikeda (2023); Gold and Silver Vessel by Hirotomi Maeda (2022); Solemn and Auspicious New Year Pine by Daisuke Nakano (2024); Doll, Prayer of a Thousand Years by Junko Narita (2023); Blowing Leaves Ginkgo by Shota Suzuki (2024); Mochizuki Full Moon by Hiraku Sudo (2025); and two works by Jihei Murase—Gold Melon-Shaped Water Jar (2024) and Silver Hatchet-Shaved Flower Vase (2024).
Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art welcomed a steady stream of curators and collectors, resulting in notable transactions.
By March 20th, Joan Mirviss, of her namesake gallery Joan B Mirviss LTD, had sold 95% of the value of the works in her important retrospective exhibition, Beyond Surface: The Unity of Form and Pattern in the Work of Wada Morihiro. Mirviss reported that many pieces sold in the mid-five-figure range, and two of them are heading to important museums with outstanding collections of Asian art. “We had an outstanding week—many of our best works sold to established collectors, and two major pieces are going to museums with renowned Asian art collections,” said Mirviss.
“The traffic during Asia Week was terrific,” said Nana Onishi, who recently moved her eponymous Onishi Gallery from Chelsea to the Upper East Side. “Some collectors visited multiple times before deciding on a purchase, and many out-of-state collectors and curators stopped by, often combining their visit with a trip to the Met, which is just around the corner. Most of our sales–including Flower Vase Spiral Shell by Hara Satoshi, a Kogei ceramic crafted in silver, gold, copper, and iron– were to private collectors, with a few going to interior designers purchasing on behalf of their clients.”
“We were delighted to see that so many collectors came to New York early in the week, with some of our best works selling as soon as we released the online component of our exhibition, Landscape Escapes,” said Katherine Martin, managing director of Scholten Japanese Art. “Buyers were quick to snag any prints that featured wave-related subjects, such as Utagawa Hiroshige’s The Sea Off Satta in Suruga Province (1858).” She added that museum group visits over the weekend were followed by a strong turnout of curators later in the week, many focused on post-war Japanese prints—an area of growing institutional interest.
Seizan Gallery in Chelsea, which featured a solo exhibition of Takashi Seto, whose silver leaf, gold leaf, and artificial dye on silk mounted on wood panel caught the eye of a private collector, ands works by Yasuko Hasumura and Taro Tabuchi, attracted buyers.
“We had a very successful Asia Week this year,” said Margo Thoma, director of Santa Fe-based TAI Modern. Notable sales included Genbu (Water God) by Yufu Shohaku and Frill: Espressivo by Nakatomi Hajime.
At Thomsen Gallery, Erik Thomsen reported sales included Lingering Snow by Konoshima Okoku, a hanging scroll on silk (circa 1910s), and Weasel in Bamboo Thicket by Yoshida Tokoku, a six-panel folding screen in ink, gold leaf, and gold wash on paper (circa 1930s).
Korean specialist Heakyum Kim of HK Art & Antiques, LLC sold numerous works from the dual-artist exhibition Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee, including Koo’s EWB 01, an archival pigment print.
Indian and Southeast Asia
London-based Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch, Ltd. reported that 20 Indian and Persian miniature paintings were sold or reserved, including a Sawar yellow ground elephant; a Guler Equestrian portrait of a princess; A scene from a Rasikapriya series: The Lover’s Desire, A folio from the Ramayana attributed to Purkhu of Kangra, depicting the Marriage of Siva; andSita Ram’s Study of a grasshopper.
Francesca Galloway, also here from London, reported excellent sales including Zebra – Imperial Mughal, attributed to Murar; A Mughal Beauty, possibly from an Album Made for Nawab Shuja’ al-Dawlal, by a master court artist, mid-18th century; Kunwar Rajmalji and Kunwar ChandmaljiRiding to a Mela – Rajasthan, Kota, Krishna Stealing the Butter – Folio from a Bhagavata Purana; Krishna slays Keshi, the Horse-Demon – Folio from aHarivamsha Series; A Rainbow Lorikeet Perched on a Flowering Branch – Folio from the Impey Album – Company School, Patna, signed by Zayn al-Din, 1778.
Carlton Rochell of his namesake gallery Carlton Rochell Asian Art sold works of art from his exhibition of Classical art from India and the Himalayas to a mix of private collectors and museums.
Chinese
Steven Chait, of the 115-year-old family-owned Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc., reported the gallery’s most active Asia Week since the pandemic, with steady attendance and high levels of interest in Chinese art.
“It was an especially vibrant week for INKstudio,” said Mee Seen Loong, who with Craig Yee are the principals of the Beijing-based gallery. “We sold all four red flower paintings in the Sumeru Series by Kang Chunhui and have a few more works by artists under consideration.”
Eric Zetterquist, of Zetterquist Galleries, reported robust activity and multiple sales, including a Goryeo Dynasty Korean tile acquired by an American museum, and a rare Jin Dynasty Yaozhou “Moon White” plate sold to a private collector.
Museum Curators and Directors Flock to Asia Week York:
Asia Week New York is a must-attend event for museum directors and curators, who make the rounds to see what the galleries have on offer. Among the museums represented were the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Asia Society, Baltimore Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cooper Hewitt | Smithsonian Design Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Harvard Art Museums, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Cornell University), Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (University of Oregon), Kimbell Art Museum, Loeb Art Center (Vassar College), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian Institution), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, Ringling Museum of Art, St. Louis Art Museum, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, San Antonio Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery.
The strong presence of museum curators and patrons reaffirmed Asia Week New York’s status as a vital destination for museum professionals, collectors, and connoisseurs seeking the finest in Asian art.
About Asia Week New York
The only event of its kind in the U.S. that promotes Asian art, Asia Week New York is the collaboration of top-tier international Asian art galleries, the six major auction houses, Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Freeman’s|Hindman, Heritage Auctions, and Sotheby’s, and numerous museums and Asian cultural institutions. This nine-day celebration is filled with a non-stop schedule of simultaneous gallery open houses, Asian art auctions as well as numerous museum exhibitions, lectures, and special events. Participants from Great Britain, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States unveil an extraordinary array of museum-quality treasures from China, India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, and Korea. Asia Week New York Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York. For more information visit www.asiaweeknewyork.com @asiaweekny #asiaweekny
High-fliers included Luke Skywalker Double-Telescoping Lightsaber action figure, $84,370; Howard Chaykin Star Wars #1 comic book art, $80,475; circa-1840 Harrison/Tyler stoneware bank, $53,970
Star Wars (1978) – Luke Skywalker 12 Back-a Afa 85 Nm+ (Double-telescoping, Pop 3).
YORK, Pa. – Hake’s March 25-26 auction of extraordinary rarities from across today’s most popular collecting categories rocketed to a lofty $2.2 million, with many new world records set along the way. Prior to the sale, Hake’s president, Alex Winter, had predicted the Star Wars original comic art would reach “a new level in the marketplace.” It did exactly that.
The greatest prize in the comic book art category was Howard Chaykin’s (b. 1950-) original pen-and-ink page (Page 16) from Star Wars #1, the first of six issues in a series published by Marvel in July 1977 as a print adaptation of the film Star Wars: A New Hope. The page’s seven panels represented two pivotal scenes from the film, with Darth Vader appearing in four of them; and an immediately-recognizable vehicle, the Jawas’ Sand-Crawler, in another. Significantly, the comic book’s text closely paralleled the movie’s dialogue. Undeniably one of the most important examples of Star Wars art from any era or publisher to reach the public marketplace, the Chaykin page made its auction debut with an open estimate and starting bid of $10,000. Following a bidding battle royale, it closed at $80,475, a record price for any Star Wars comic book story page original art.
Intergalactic villain Darth Vader may have landed in impressive high-five-figure territory at the auction, but The Force was dominant and scuttled The Dark Side’s attempt to claim top-lot honors. It was Luke Skywalker to the rescue in the form of a Star Wars (1978) 12 Back-A AFA 85 NM+ Double-Telescoping (DT) Lightsaber action figure that triumphed over Vader, as well as all other items in the 1,449-lot sale. The 3.75-inch figure was encapsulated in an AFA Archival case on a blister card that, importantly, lacked a SKU number on its footer. At the time of cataloging, AFA’s Population Report indicated there were only three known examples of this iconic figure on a 12 Back-A card without the SKU on the footer in an AFA 85 NM+ grade. It was only the second carded Luke DT figure in its grade ever to be auctioned by Hake’s and the first 12 Back-A example without a SKU on the footer to be offered by them in any grade. It was cataloged with a $35,000-$50,000 estimate but proved to have even more “upside” going for it. It earned a robust $84,370, a world auction record for a figure of its particular type in its high grade.
Collectors of animation art competed with Star Wars fans over a hand-painted production three-cel setup and hand-painted background art featuring Boba Fett and Stormtroopers from CBS Television’s 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. The TV show captured the public’s imagination, airing after the release of the first Star Wars film (1977) and before the much-anticipated sequel The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It sold for $39,805 against an estimate of $5,000-$10,000, a new record price for any piece of Star Wars animation art.
Exotic foreign productions are always popular with Star Wars action figure fans. In the March auction, many had their sights set on a Palitoy Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) Boba Fett 3.75-inch action figure on a Tri-Logo 70 Back-B blister card, graded AFA 85 NM Meccano Style Bubble. The French Meccano figure variety is of a noticeably darker gray plastic with a light-brown belt, and the back of its leg correctly lacks the origin text and origin production “scar” seen on Malaysian productions. Its Tri-Logo packaging is printed with English, Spanish and French text, adding to its unusual presentation. Only two other AFA 85 Boba Fett examples are known across all Tri-Logo varieties, and at the time of cataloging, the figure offered by Hake’s was the single-highest-graded example of its type according to the AFA Population Report, with none higher. It sold near the top of its estimate range for $18,530.
Star Trek rarities made a strong statement, as well. The auction featured four Mego prototype test shot Series 2 Star Trek Alien figures, copyright 1976 Paramount, that were originally used in promotional photography to sell the line. All were fresh-to-the-market discoveries obtained directly from a former Mego designer and had been amply documented on the Mego Museum website and in toy magazines. Each was assigned an individual auction estimate of $5,000-$10,000. Their selling prices were: The Mugato from the second-season episode A Private Little War, $31,575; Romulan, $30,960; Andorian, $29,550; and Talos, $28,505.
From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle land, a rare 1992 giant-size (14½-inch) Slam Dunkin’ Don hand-painted hardcopy prototype for Playmates’ action figure of Donatello was a fan favorite. Jointed, as a final production figure would be, it exhibited the same overall design as the smaller Slam Dunkin’ Don figure released in 1991. Sporting a red and white TURTLES jersey with the number 23, the same as seen on Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey, the figure was the actual example featured in the book Rad Plastic. Graded Fine/VF overall and one of only five TMNT prototypes known in the larger scale, it surpassed its high estimate to realize $12,390.
The enduring appeal of The Incredible Hulk delivered bidders galore to the auction, in particular for Neal Adams’ (1941-2022) original mixed-media artwork for the box lid of Aurora’s 1966 Hulk model kit. An early example of Adams’ work for Marvel, the color artwork depicts the musclebound superhero standing amid twisted wreckage and two smoking craters. It sold for $32,305 against an estimate of $20,000-$35,000.
An absolutely unique Amazing Spider-Man #667 retailer incentive variant comic book, published by Marvel in October 2011, featured Gabriele Dell’Otto cover art and was documented as 1/1 in the CGC Population Census. The variant was offered only as an optional purchase to retailers who ordered 100 or more copies of the standard comic. The auction example’s cover was signed in bold in 2012 at two separate comic industry events, by story author Dan Slott and interior-page artist Humberto Ramos. Of the approximately 200 copies of this variant cover believed to be in circulation, it was the only one of nine signed examples in the CGC Census to be autographed by both Slott and Ramos. Graded CGC JSA Authentic Autograph 9.8 NM/Mint, with provenance that included the Duke Caldwell collection, it sold at the upper end of its estimate range for $16,875.
Hake’s was founded in 1967 as a trusted authority on American political memorabilia and has retained that reputation ever since. Some of the most important campaign souvenirs in our nation’s history have passed through Hake’s doors, and that includes an outstanding molded stoneware bank offered in the March sale. Made around 1840, it was designed as a log cabin with a large hard-cider barrel at its top to promote the candidacy of “Hard Cider Boys” William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. Possibly the earliest of all known political banks, it was formerly in the collection of Rex and Patti Stark, who acquired it from Edmund B Sullivan, Professor and Curator at the Hartford University Museum. Making its first-ever auction appearance, it conveyed to its new owner for $53,970 against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.
A fine selection of campaign buttons was available, as well. Topping the group was a Theodore Roosevelt “A Square Deal” button with a portrait of the future president shown at the center of a patriotic shield. At 1.25 inches, the largest iteration of this rare 1912 production, it commanded $19,485 against an estimate of $5,000-$10,000, a world record price for a button of this type.
Not even Hake’s experts were prepared for all of the bidders who came out of the woodwork to chase a 1940 Superman collector card titled “Mountain Tragedy.” The last of a series of 36 cards produced by Leader Novelty Candy Company of Brooklyn, New York, its graphic depicted the Man of Steel flying toward a snow-capped peak where three climbers appeared to be trapped on a crumbling ledge. One of the rarest and most sought after of all Superman cards from any set, it had once been part of the famed Danny Fuchs collection. Against an estimate of $1,000-$2,000, it sold for $29,540, a world auction record for any card from its particular series.
With a coolness factor that was off the charts, a circa-1966 pressed-steel comic book vending machine was finished in pop colors with glass panels for viewing and choosing from a selection of 10 different comic books. Its levers were designed to accept a dime and two pennies, the cost of each 12¢ comic. Made by Comic Vend Inc of River Grove, Illinois, this colorful survivor of the Silver Age of comic book production was bid to $10,620 against an estimate of $2,000-$5,000.
To discuss consigning a collection or single item to a future Hake’s pop culture memorabilia auction, please call +1 866-404-9800 (toll-free) or +1 717-434-1600; or email [email protected]. All enquiries are kept strictly confidential. Visit Hake’s online at https://hakes.com/.
LAS VEGAS – Four days of not-to-be-missed bidding opportunities are on the agenda for Morphy’s April 30-May 3 Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction in Las Vegas. Nearly 2,000 high-quality lots will take the spotlight, including premier music, arcade and gambling machines, plus a bumper crop of exceptional antique and vintage signage touting everything from tobacco and alcoholic beverages to the various goods that would have been sold at general stores 100+ years ago. The atmosphere at these very special Las Vegas events is always upbeat and welcoming, but those who cannot attend in person can still join the fun by bidding absentee, by phone or live online through Morphy’s bidding platform.
The superlative selection of well-provenanced rarities is led by the king of all penny arcade machines a circa-1904 Mills Novelty Co., “Lion Lung Tester” that stands 103 inches tall. This machine, which is dominated by a deeply-carved three-dimensional lion with a fearsome expression and mouth agape, is so iconic it was chosen for the front cover of the inaugural issue (March 2001) of the Coin Operated Collectors Association’s COCA Times magazine. When a penny is deposited, the giant cat’s eyes illuminate, and when a patron blows into the tester, the beast emits a spine-tingling roar. A continuously-running clock displays how many seconds a given player can keep the lion roaring, hence a measurement of how strong their lungs are. The auction example’s line of documented ownership goes back more than 50 years. It is one of only two known specimens and has never before appeared at auction. Strong competition is expected, and a pre-auction estimate has been set at $150,000-$300,000.
Another top prize is a rare circa-1905 “Ray-O-Lite” 1-cent rifle arcade machine made by the Automatic Target Machine Co. This improved model operates like the earlier lollipop-style iteration with a cast-iron target pedestal and bull’s-eye target, but the difference is that it employs a dry cell battery. The updated cabinet model has eight added target features that are unique to its design, and its reverse-painted sign illuminates if the target is missed. The auction entry is a fresh-to-the-market find that surfaced after Morphy’s sold another example, from the Rich and Sharon Penn collection, in December 2024. In working order and in VG condition, the rifle arcade machine is expected to settle in the $75,000-$150,000 range.
Vintage baseball coin-op machines have held their values very well over the past several years. Morphy’s will offer a real gem during their May 3rd session, a circa 1929-1931 Amusement Machine Co., 1927 “Play Baseball” floor-model game. Known as Model H, with the serial number 1098, this classic machine comes with figural cast-iron players on the field and its original lithographed cardboard stadium simulating a full crowd at the ballpark. In unrestored condition with an excellent-condition infield, this machine has its original keys, a replaced marquee and top sign, and presents in VG condition overall. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000
Continuing on a sporting theme, a Paces Races 5-cent console horse race slot machine, made circa 1934 by Pace Mfg Co, shows off the stunning result of a high-quality older restoration, with glass panel inserts on its side panels. An electromechanical game in good condition overall, it is operational but in need of service. Estimate: $10,000-$20,000
A very rare circa-1931 International Mutoscope “Shootomatic Merchandise Vender” 5-cent arcade prize-dispensing game is a variation on a “digger” machine. It has been extensively restored, with a quartered-oak cabinet and new plating to its mechanical components. Standing 65½ inches tall, it is fully operational and comes with a nice selection of prizes, plus keys. Estimate: $20,000-$40,000
Rare and magnificent, a circa-1900 Mills Novelty Co., Violano Virtuoso is one of fewer than 20 of its type known to exist. Presented in its beautiful quartered-oak cabinet with handsome “tiger” striping and a wonderful Art Nouveau bow-front window, this handsome unit was fully restored at some point in its past. It delivers a breathtaking performance with a deep, rich violin tone and the flourish of a perfectly-tuned piano. All keys and six musical rolls accompany the machine, which is estimated at $60,000-$130,000.
Ultra-rare and eye-catching, a single-reel token trade stimulator known as “The Eagle” was made around 1905, possibly by the Mills Novelty Co., for the Sundwall Company of Seattle, Washington. Its castings, with the exception of the top portion, are the same as are seen on Mills’ “Pilot.” The top casting includes a two-headed eagle and the embossed words “The Eagle.” The machine retains its original marquee, reel strip, award cards and back door with lock. This represents the first time an example of this coveted machine has ever appeared in a Morphy auction. Graded VG-Excellent, it carries a $30,000-$60,000 estimate.
Slot machines are led by an extremely rare circa-1939 Jennings “Silver Dollar Chief” $1 model. Its bas-relief metal appliques depict a Native American man in profile and two braves in the wild, one of them a scout; the other carrying a deer. The Silver Dollar Chief in Morphy’s sale is the actual example featured in Marshall Fey’s reference book Slot Machines: A Pictorial History of the First 100 Years. With all-original paint, reel strips, award cards, back door and cash box, it is offered with an $8,000-$16,000 estimate.
The product that would single-handedly launch the pop art movement, Campbell’s Tomato Soup, is immortalized in the form of a 12-inch-high, single-sided porcelain thermometer that has survived many decades to emerge in outstanding condition. A working thermometer gauge at the soup can’s middle reads “On so many days – Soup is just the thing!” This all-American advertising piece retains excellent color and gloss, and is AGS-graded 93 and certified #11976. The pre-sale estimate is $20,000-$30,000.
A circa-1900 single-sided self-framed tin sign advertises Yuengling’s Beer, Ale & Porter, products of a legendary Pottsville, Pennsylvania brewery. In 8.0 condition with a majestic eagle graphic at its center, this sign measures 23½ inches in diameter and is estimated at $7,000-$14,000. Another stellar entry manufactured around 1900 is a single-sided tin sign advertising Old Sleepy Eye Flour (Sleepy Eye, Minnesota). In an oval cartouche at its center is an awe-inspiring graphic of Chief Sleepy Eye of the Sisseton Dakota tribe. Additional vignettes around the perimeter depict various Native American scenes. Measuring 29½ inches by 25½ inches and maker-marked “The Meek Company,” this 8.5-condition sign has been assigned a $6,000-$12,000 estimate.
Surveying the antique advertising selection from a lofty point is a fine 78-inch-tall cigar store American Indian figure attributed to Thomas V Brooks (New York, 1828-1895). Brooks was acclaimed for his carvings of ships and shop figures, especially Native Americans with distinctive V-shape headdresses. The figure offered by Morphy’s holds a cluster of cigars in one hand and leans on a post with the other. It has been restored in an extremely attractive palette of colors. Estimate: $15,000-$30,000
The April 30-May 3, 2025 auction will be held live at Morphy’s comfortable West Coast satellite gallery located at 4520 Arville St., #1, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103. Start time is 9am Pacific time (12 noon Eastern time). Preview weekdays by appointment from 9am-4pm local time starting one week before the auction; or on auction days from 8-9am. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone (please reserve line in advance), or live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For condition reports or other questions, call tollfree 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. Online: https://www.morphyauctions.com.
Works signed by Courbet, Marquet or Rysselberghe, the paintings from a collection from Saint-Etienne will delight lovers of 19th-century and modern painting. This first rate collection focuses on landscapes and still lifes, themes conducive to working with matter and color.
Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), Paysage du Jura, c 1875, mounted oil on canvas, signed, 65 x 81 cm/25.59 x 31.89 in (detail). Estimate: €70,000/120,000
Eight paintings in one sale. A small but emblematic selection from the collection of an art lover from Saint-Etienne, in southern France, who passed away a few years ago. An entrepreneur, he assembled a large number of works between 1960 and 1980, acquired mainly from dealers and gallery owners. His collection was originally much more comprehensive than these eight 19th-century and modern works. “It belonged to collectors of a very particular era, who were ‘classical’ in their furnishings and who bought both the Old Masters and modern paintings,” explains curator Agnès Carlier, who has already sold period furniture from the same provenance and other paintings, including the Portrait de Catherine Begon de Montfermeil by Nicolas de Largillierre, which sold for €136,250 on May 23, 2024. These paintings remained for some fifty years in the home of this enthusiast, who “did not collect according to a theme, but according to his pleasure”, explains expert Michel Maket. The vagaries of life also played their part, such as the acquisition of his second home in the Jura, not far from Ornans and Gustave Courbet‘s beloved ‘Source de la Loue.’ The purchase of this Jura landscape was an obvious choice for the collector. This painting has been authenticated by the Comité Courbet, and appears in Robert Fernier’s catalog raisonné of the artist’s work, La Vie et l’œuvre de Gustave Courbet (Bibliothèque des arts, 1977-1978), reproduced as no. 1000, pages 216 and 217. Another guarantee of authenticity is that the title is not written in italics, but in Roman capitals, “which indicates that Fernier physically saw the painting”, notes Michel Maket. It was acquired by our entrepreneur at the Palais Galliera in Paris on December 1, 1969, at a sale led by Mes Rheims and Laurin, with Mr. Dubourg and Mr. Durand-Ruel as experts. Although not precisely located in the catalog raisonné, this landscape could represent the Loue, the river that rises in the Doubs and flows through Ornans. It was one of Courbet’s favorite themes from 1864 forward. Although living in Paris at the time, Courbet regularly returned to his native region. But when he painted this canvas, around 1875, he had been in exile in Switzerland for two years. He therefore worked from memory, transcribing these views of the Jura he would never see again. In the end, landscapes accounted for two-thirds of his output. During the last fifteen years of his life, Courbet received an increasing number of commissions in this genre. Somewhere between Flemish tradition and French realism, he would flesh out these scenes with dark backgrounds to which he would add light tones revealing important details, such as the golden, scratched rock of Jura’s cliffs or the swirls of water, using touches of white applied with a knife or his fingers to create relief and movement. The painter felt that this ever-changing nature was self-sufficient. There was no need for human figures. A message that was echoed in the work of the Impressionists.
Théo Van Rysselberghe, Albert Marquet… An inexhaustible source of inspiration, the sea has been the subject of many an artist’s work.
Théo Van Rysselberghe (1862-1926), Rascasse et rougets, 1912, oil on canvas, monogrammed and dated, 35 x 55 cm/13.77 x 21.65 in. Estimate: €20,000/30,000
A Transition to Color with Théo Van Rysselberghe and Marquet
A shift occurs with the other paintings in this group, in which modernity asserts itself through the expressiveness of color, each using it in his or her own way. The painter of poetic reality Christian Caillard applies it to his landscapes, as in Hameau breton from 1978, expected at €800/1,000, as does Dunoyer de Segonzac, whose canvas painted around 1924 Église de Villiers-sur-Morin is announced at €1,500/2,500. Bernard Lorjou, a painter devoted to figuration, will offer a saturated-palette Personnage for €1,000/1,200. These artists share their Fauve past, and their works illustrate the evolution of each. This mutation is clearly visible in two paintings by Charles Camoin: “Compotier de fruits et flasque de chianti, dated c. 1910, features simplified forms. The background colors tend towards monochromy in a Cézanne atmosphere,” explains Michel Maket. Conversely, Nature morte à la nappe aux carreaux bleus (Still Life with Blue-Checked Tablecloth), from 1926, is a mature work, in which the elements have substance, presence and more shimmering, palpable colors.” €8,000/12,000 for each of the two. The theme remains the same with the work of Belgian Théo Van Rysselberghe. He was close to Seurat and Signac from 1888, before moving towards a powerful palette from 1908, which owes much to the work of Matisse and Marquet. In 1910, he moved to Saint-Clair in Le Lavandou, not far from his friend Henri-Edmond Cross and his brother Octave – the architect who built Signac’s house in Saint-Tropez. The painting Rascasse et rougets dates to 1912. Rysselberghe frees his painting from the systematism of the neo-impressionist manner, indulging in a broader brushstroke and creating forms with a relief brimming with naturalness. An inexhaustible source of inspiration, the sea has been the subject of many artists, including Albert Marquet, who spent his childhood in Bordeaux watching the boats in the harbor. In his 1926 canvas Le Canal et le quartier sicilien, le port de la Goulette, we find ourselves in Tunis: a city the painter had discovered three years earlier on his honeymoon with Marcelle Martinet, whom he had met in Algiers in 1920. For more than twenty years, every winter, they took up residence in Algeria, but between February and May 1926, they settled in Tunis in a house on the beach overlooking the gulf, in an area populated by fishermen from Sicily, where boats served as a means of transport for the locals. For more than twenty years, every winter, the couple took up residence in Algeria, but between February and May 1926, they settled in Tunis in a house on the beach in front of the gulf, in an area populated by fishermen from Sicily, where boats served as a means of transport for the locals. For once, the painter has placed himself at their level, on the quay, abandoning his traditional plunging views. Here, he is interested in the people and atmosphere of the place, but also in the reflections of the water, accentuated by stronger-than-usual colors, and the saturated light of North Africa. “A light that constructs his paintings and simplifies volumes, bringing out the great oblique lines that energize the horizontal plane of sky and sea,” insists Mr. Maket. A journey not to be missed!
Albert Marquet (1875-1947), Le Canal et le quartier sicilien, le port de la Goulette, 1926, oil on canvas, signed, Hermitage Foundation label on back, 50 x 61 cm/19.68 x 24.01 in. Estimate: €100,000/120,000
Women designers have been historically underrepresented in the broader design industry, a result of ingrained social bias and fewer professional opportunities. Yet this ratio is changing. Modern and contemporary women designers are gaining wider recognition and followings, including in the auction market. Billings’ 2025 spring sale, scheduled for April 5, 2025, will particularly feature modern and contemporary women designers. Here are a few of their innovative works from the auction catalog.
Kelly Wearstler, ‘Crescent’ cabinet. Image courtesy of Billings.
Kelly Wearstler
Available from renowned American designer Kelly Wearstler is a contemporary ‘Crescent’ cabinet composed of lacquered wood, walnut, bronze, and antique mirrored glass (lot #20; estimate: USD 10,000 – $15,000). This piece, which measures approximately 72 inches high, hosts a scattering of amorphous metal and glass pulls on the front. Ivory lacquer provides visual contrast for the piece. Inside are six drawers, two interior shelves, and an antiqued mirror backing.
Kelly Wearstler opened her design firm in the mid-1990s. She initially specialized in furnishing luxury hotels before branching out to design home goods. Wearstler has since built a successful business producing furniture, rugs, wallpaper, couture, and more. A defining feature of her work is a flair for drama, bold colors, and unexpected elements. “I look at everything as a stage,” Wearstler told The Guardian in a 2002 interview. “When I walk into a room, I want to be moved.”
Lindsey Adelman, ‘Branching Bubble’ chandelier. Image courtesy of Billings.
Lindsey Adelman
In Billings’ 2025 spring sale, another key lot from a woman designer is a chandelier by Lindsey Adelman (lot #414; estimate: $6,000 – $8,000). This ‘Branching Bubble’ example from the 2000s is formed of brass and sky-blue glass. Adelman’s Branching Bubble series is now considered an icon of contemporary lighting design, with its carefully balanced arms and glass orbs that together evoke a blossoming tree branch in spring.
Based in Manhattan, Lindsey Adelman has actively pushed the lighting design field forward since 1996. Her work merges industrial design with organic forms. Adelman was attracted to lighting from her college days, intrigued by lighting’s ability to transform a room without needing to accommodate the human form. Statement lighting fixtures became Adelman’s specialty. The designer noted in a 2014 Bard Graduate Center interview that her sources of inspiration include natural growths taking over industrial elements, like weeds covering a fence. That untamed force is balanced in her designs by modernist, intentional imperfection.
Sonya Sombreuil, monumental custom étagère. Image courtesy of Billings.
Sonya Sombreuil
Billings’ spring sale will feature work by another notable woman artist: Sonya Sombreuil. Available for bid is a monumental custom étagère from the Los Angeles-based artist (lot #332; estimate: $5,000 – $7,000). This large piece, composed of painted plywood, acrylic, and a found tree branch, measures over 11 feet wide and five feet tall. It contains numerous unique details, including moon, star, and heart cut-outs and the word “Alex” written in marker on a supportive tree branch. The étagère was exhibited with Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles in late 2023.
Sonya Sombreuil maintains a wide-reaching, community-based art practice that moves fluidly between mediums. In addition to painting, Sombreuil is known for her t-shirt company, ephemera production, and curatorial projects. She describes her work in an artist’s statement as “anti-design,” a sentiment that was explored in Sombreuil’s collaboration with Jeffrey Deitch Gallery. The available étagère was used to display smaller artworks and books as part of the installation.
In addition to these works, the upcoming Billings sale will feature furniture by William Emmerson, Isamu Noguchi, and Pierre Jeanneret; decorative art by Dirk van Erp, Toshiko Takaezu, and Ai Weiwei; and fine art by Beverly Politi, Retna, and Pablo Picasso.
Billings’ Spring Modern Art + Design 2025 auction will begin at 1:00 PM EDT on April 5, 2025. To browse the complete catalog and register to bid, visit Billings.
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What inspired your vocation? O.G. Eighteen years ago, I bought a breathtakingly beautiful Egyptian meridienne by Christopher Dresser in London. That was when I became aware of the inventiveness of the turn of the century, a time when codes were pushed aside in favor of a more assertive style that was open to the world. L.R. When I was 19, I started out at the Saint-Ouen flea market, as my father had done forty years earlier, in the same Vernaison market. Working with collectors and family friends inspired me to make a career out of it.
What was your greatest challenge? O.G. The first acquisition of one of my objects by a museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which marked the beginning of a long series. L.R. Making a name for myself after Charles, Maurice and Philippe Ratton, all of whom left their mark. One of the milestones was my first participation in TEFAF in 2013, where I was the youngest exhibitor: a turning point in my career.
What’s your most recent “coup de cœur”? O.G. An extraordinary gold, silver, enamel and ruby bowl by Armand Point, a long-ignored Symbolist artist. It’s always a great source of pride to rediscover objects that have been forgotten for a century. L.R. A small Bembé sculpture, which I coveted for more than ten years from a Parisian collector and finally acquired. Its quality bears witness to its mythical provenance: the Stanoff Collection.
What artist or art object would you like to exhibit? O.G. The furniture Mackintosh designed for Fritz Waerndorfer’s Music Salon in Vienna in 1902. If these pieces still exist, discovering them would be an immense privilege. L.R. The Baule mask held by Kiki de Montparnasse in Man Ray’s mythical photo Noire et Blanche. We don’t know who owned it, but given the friendship between Man Ray and Charles Ratton, there’s a good chance it belonged to my great-uncle.
What is your professional mantra? O.G. One of my first teachers, the dealer Santo Micali, used to say: “In life, it’s better to sell than not to sell! L.R. As my grandfather Maurice Ratton used to say, “Sell and regret!”
What are your plans or upcoming highlights? O.G. & LR. Our unprecedented collaboration at TEFAF this year is particularly dear to our hearts. After several exhibitions harmoniously blending our very different styles, we wanted to go even further in terms of the exacting standards of the pieces and exploring their museological dimension.
Royal memorabilia of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and little Louis XVII always fetch high prices, as these relics of a bygone age enjoy a real niche market.
Joseph-Siffred Duplessis and his studio (1725-1802), Portrait of the Dauphine of France, Marie-Antoinette of Habsburg-Lorraine (1755-1793) , oil on canvas, 74 x 56.5 cm/29.1 x 22 in (detail). Neuilly-sur-Seine, November 25, 2021. Aguttes auction house. Result: €175,000
January is an emotional month for French monarchy lovers, as it was on January 21, 1793 that Louis XVI was led to the scaffold. And, judging by the fine and ever-rising results obtained by royal memorabilia at auction, it is clear that nostalgic fans abound, and see these objects as a safe investment! As it happens, the Drouot 2024 auction season ended with the sale for €12,350 of a fragment of the tapestry embroidered in the Temple Prison by Marie-Antoinette and her sister-in-law, Madame Élisabeth (December 17, Coutau-Bégarie auction house). In this memorabilia niche market, the trio of the Romanovs, Elisabeth of Austria and Marie-Antoinette and her family command the highest bids and the most interest. “The more tragic a fate, the more fascinated people are,” says expert Cyril Boulay. In 2006, Sofia Coppola’s film, soberly titled Marie-Antoinette, helped to make the queen more human by focusing on the personal and emotional aspects of her life.
The future Louis XVII (Louis-Charles de France, 1785-1795), page of writing, autograph document, c. 1790, one quarto page. Versailles, Château saleroom, March 12, 2023. Osenat auction house. Result: €22,500
“The Austrian” is Now Loved Though unpopular with her subjects, “the Austrian”, as she was nicknamed before she even reached France, has long been the queen of hearts at auction. In May 2020, Osenat sold for €43,750 a wooden leather-trimmed travel trunk that had belonged to her: one of three known models. The other two are now in the Château de Versailles. It is an object intimately connected with the queen, evoking the personality of a young woman who adored fashion. In 2018, the Fontainebleau auction house, well-known for its partiality to imperial sales, opened an auction room in Versailles, the city most symbolic of royalty. The director of the department, Jean-Christophe Chataigner, feels it was an obvious move. “Thanks to our Empire sales, we had a database of French and international historical memorabilia collectors,” he says. To avoid any ambiguity, he is keen to point out that “the buyers are not necessarily royalists. The latter follow sales with interest but do not often bid. However, all of them are passionate about the history of France and its heritage.” And true connoisseurs, to boot! There are far fewer mementoes of the royal family than those linked with Napoleon, “so there is a keen appetite, especially for memorabilia with a personal connection,” says Chataigner. On November 15 of the same year, in the same venue, one of Marie-Antoinette’s shoes, soberly trimmed with silk and kid leather, quadrupled its estimate at €43,750. On April 18, 2021, a copper wall fountain with her coat of arms on the reservoir — an object evoking The Queen’s Hamlet — fetched €46,250. On January 5, 2023, this time at Drouot (Pescheteau-Badin), two Sèvres soft paste egg cups belonging to the “pearl and barbel service”, ordered in July 1781 and delivered to the queen on January 2, 1782 (with truly miraculous speed) went for €33,655. The service originally contained 295 pieces. 75 of these were made over to the Petit Trianon through an acceptance in lieu; others turn up sporadically at auction. More recently at Drouot, on March 13, 2024, two half-bottle wine coolers fetched €21,252 and €19,320 respectively during a “Nobility and Royalty” sale staged by the Coutau-Bégarie auction house.
Royal Sèvres Manufactory, 1781-1782, half-bottle cooler from the “pearl and barbel” service made for Marie-Antoinette at the Trianon, h. 17 cm/6.7 in., diam. 18.7 cm/7 in., Paris, Hôtel Drouot, March 13, 2024. Coutau-Bégarie auction house. Mr. Boulay. Result: €21,252
Words and Letters In October 2019, the Châtivesle auction house presented in Reims (a city closely linked with the monarchy due to the coronations held there) a letter from the queen to Duc Jules de Polignac and his wife Gabrielle, her friend and ‘favorite’ and the governess of her children. The couple had managed to emigrate in the early days of the French Revolution. The year is 1790, and the queen, now in the Tuileries under house arrest, writes of her distress: “Assure her that my friendship for her will never change. I well know how much she feels for me in her heart, given the fresh misfortunes that overwhelm me, but I am strong, and will be able to hold up for the sake of my children and my friends.” The letter fetched €8,669. These letters, written after October 1789 and the forced departure from Versailles, are “very beautiful and poignant: they reveal the very depths of the writer’s soul,” says Jean-Christophe Chataignier. In the Coutau-Bégarie sale mentioned above, another memento of this devoted friendship, a round gold snuffbox with a portrait of the queen painted on ivory, garnered €9,360. The lovely duchess, who possessed the “most appealing and enduring spirit” according to Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, died in Vienna on December 5, 1793, exactly 50 days after the queen. Cyril Boulay, who has worked for 20 years with Coutau-Bégarie and was the first to devote specialized sales to this memorabilia, shares these views. He talks enthusiastically about the magic of this market, where “an object is not valuable in itself but for the moment it represents.” He believes that with this type of purchase “the collector brings a little piece of history into their home.” One very telling figure is little Louis XVII, the ‘child martyr’ of the Temple. Few documents concerning him have survived; what have come down are mainly relics, fragments of clothing and locks of hair. On March 3, 2015, at Drouot, the expert proposed some of them, contained in an envelope and duly authenticated. They fetched €3,375, while €40,000 went to the waistcoat worn by the little prince during his captivity: all mementoes religiously preserved by the descendants of Vicomte Alcide-Hyacinthe du Bois de Beauchesne (1804-1873). At Versailles, under Osenat’s hammer on March 12, 2023, a very rare document made its appearance. Only three others of the same kind have been recorded to date: a page of writing, where the child practiced signing his name on five lines. This still clumsy script, certainly dating from the very start of the education of the young boy, who became Dauphin at his elder brother’s death on June 4, 1789, aroused much emotion at €17,500. But we now return to the mother of France’s children in a slightly lighter tone. The guitar she gave to the Marquise de la Rochelambert-Thévalles, her lady-in-waiting, garnered €78,000 on December, 2020 at Aguttes in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and her lute guitar, made especially in Paris in 1770 by her music teacher, the luthier Edmond Saunier (1730-1789), fetched a fine €169,000 on June 15, 2019 in Villefranche-sur-Saône with the Richard auction house. While collectors rush to buy mementoes of Her Majesty, the Château de Versailles misses no chance — when it deems it opportune — to bring the lady back to her domain. For example, on November 25, 2021 (Aguttes, Neuilly-sur-Seine), the institution preempted her portrait as the Dauphine of France. This was the auction debut of the painting, commissioned in 1772 by her mother, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, from Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (1725-1802). It went for €175,000, joining the sketch already owned by the Château. The CMN (national monuments center) acted likewise on June 15, 2021, on behalf of the Conciergerie, preempting at €6,500 the box in which Marie-Antoinette had kept her belongings just before her execution. A moving memory indeed.
Dolls emerged as a distinct collecting category in the early 20th century, when models across all price points began to be manufactured on a commercial scale across Europe and North America. Today, doll collectors make up one of the largest hobby groups in the world, with the United Federation of Doll Clubs organization supporting over 300 national and international member clubs.
On March 14, 2025, Frasher’s Doll Auction of Oak Grove, MO presented its 147-lot March Matinee Doll Auction. This sale tempted enthusiasts with a spectrum of relatively accessible antique to modern dolls, as well as accessories, wardrobes, wigs, and miniatures. Here are some spotlight results from this well-curated event. All prices noted include the auction house’s 20% buyer’s premium.
Lot #20, a Simon & Halbig model 1279 doll, was estimated at $1,200 to $1,600 and sold for $1,560. Image courtesy of Frasher’s Doll Auction.
Antique European dolls took several of the top slots in this early spring sale. Lot #20, a German Simon & Halbig bisque model 1279 doll, was estimated at USD 1,200 to $1,600 and delivered $1,560. This 26-inch tall example had a bisque socket head and wooden ball-jointed body. She was marked “S & H 1279” on verso. She came to life with brown eyes that opened and closed and were lined in dark eyeliner, had painted lashes, and feathered brows; a dimensional open mouth with upper teeth and a distinctive heart-shaped upper lip; pierced ears for earrings; and a dark brown human hair wig. She was elegantly dressed in a kimono with a gold sash, a long slip and underwear, and red leather shoes.
Simon & Halbig, founded in 1869, was a doll manufacturer from central Germany that specialized in producing finely detailed and finished porcelain doll heads. In 1902, the company started working with Kämmer & Reinhardt, another well-known German doll firm in business since 1886. As a result of this partnership, Kämmer & Reinhardt designed the heads, and Simon & Halbig produced them. These dolls had both the Simon & Halbig and Kämmer & Reinhardt marks. Kämmer & Reinhardt would go on to purchase Simon & Halbig in 1920 and make dolls through 1932.
Lot #142, a doll designed by Dewees Cochran and manufactured by Effanbee, was estimated at $300 to $500 and sold for $1,560. Image courtesy of Frasher’s Doll Auction.
Vintage to antique dolls made by American firms and designers were well represented at this event. Lot #142, a doll designed by Dewees Cochran and manufactured by the Effanbee company, was estimated at $300 to $500 and delivered $1,560. This circa 1936-39 example was 18 inches tall, with a composition socket head and a five-piece jointed body. She was dressed in her factory original blue and white dress with a pleated apron and ruffed blouse, blue and white ankle-length socks, and white leather shoes. Her IDs included an Effanbee American Child “Barbara Ann” wrist tag, an Effanbee metal heart bracelet, a heart-shaped tag on her skirt, and an Effanbee Anne Shirley mark. This time capsule treasure came with a 15-inch long trunk filled with extra clothing, as well as additional Dewees Cochran clothing patterns.
Dewees Cochran (1892 – 1991) was a legend in the doll world for nearly half a century. She is known for many innovations, including her signature portrait dolls (made to resemble real-life children), character dolls, and Grow-up dolls. Grow-up dolls were a series of dolls of the same character which illustrated their physical growth over time. Cochran’s dolls were sold at premier retailers including F.A.O. Schwarz and Saks Fifth Avenue. In the early 1930s, composer and songwriter Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989) commissioned Cochran to make portrait dolls of his two daughters. Her work was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1939.
Lot #99, a silk Bebe dress, was estimated at $100 to $150 and sold for $510. Image courtesy of Frasher’s Doll Auction.
Doll-scaled clothing, wardrobes, and outfits were also key categories in this March Matinee Doll Auction. Lot #99, an antique silk Bebe dress, was estimated at $100 to $150 and realized $510. This eye-catching red silk-satin dress was lined and measured 13 inches long. It was detailed with a dropped waist, a pleated bodice and skirt, and long sleeves; the yoke and lower sleeves were finished with fine tan lace. It closed in the back with buttons.
Many antique doll enthusiasts also seek original, antique doll clothing made from elegant materials as a parallel collection. For the most part, antique dolls have much more structural integrity than antique attire made from cloth, wool, silk, and other fabrics. These materials often fall victim to damage caused by too much or too little light or humidity, bugs and moths, water, playwear, and other sources of loss or wear. Friction, heat, and even the residue chemicals on someone’s hands can cause silk to fall apart or “melt.” As such, it is understandable that this antique silk Bebe dress in such fine condition called to the high bidder.
Lot #93, nine pairs of antique doll shoes, was estimated at $100 to $150 and sold for $450. Image courtesy of Frasher’s Doll Auction.
Fine doll fashion accessories, including bonnets and shoes, caught the eye of bidders and buyers as well. Lot #93, nine pairs of antique doll shoes, was estimated at $100 to $150 and delivered $450. These were from French and German makers. The grouping included seven pairs of leather shoes and two pairs of fabric shoes; each closed with ties or snaps.
Like clothing, doll shoes have a tradition of getting lost to time. As such, doll footwear is also highly in demand with antique doll collectors. Many dolls were originally designed for children for fun and play, which usually meant that they would be dressed and undressed. It is very easy for a shoe to go missing or be misplaced, and not uncommon today to see dolls from yesteryear for sale with only one remaining original shoe.
This dolly-delicious sale rounded out with travel dolls, miniatures and doll house-related materials, wigs, bears and animals, and modern artist editions. For more information on Frasher’s Doll Auction’s March 14th, 2025 March Matinee Doll Auction, visit LiveAuctioneers.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 21, 2025 – Turner Auctions + Appraisals is very pleased to present the Gladyne K. Mitchell Collection of Important Estate Jewelry on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 10:30 am PST. Featuring pieces from the personal collection of the San Francisco philanthropist, the auction features sumptuous jewelry for women, including beautiful ear clips, rings, brooches and clip brooches, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants. Most are 18k or 14k gold, richly adorned with jewels such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, blue topaz, and/or pearls. Famed creators or sellers include Van Cleef & Arpels, Fred Leighton, Lalaounis, Judith Ripka, Seaman Schepps, Oscar Heyman, Nicolas Varney, Jewel House of Minyon, Shreve, and H. Stern. Several timepieces are also on offer: watches for both women and men made by Breguet and Omega, a pocket watch, and a late 17th-early 18th-century gilt oignon verge fusee keywind watch from Mousset a Paris.
Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 10:30 am PST; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The auction will be featured live on four platforms: LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare, and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps (“Turner Auctions”). Both are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website: www.turnerauctionsonline.com/upcoming-auctions/.
Born and bred in San Francisco, Gladyne Kenderdine Mitchell (1940-2024) was the daughter of Mitchel and Emma Mitchell, a hardworking, industrious, and successful family whose efforts contributed meaningfully to the betterment of San Francisco and beyond. Educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Italy, Gladyne graduated with degrees in art history and music. Returning to the U.S., she taught kindergarten for several years. Subsequently, following in her family’s real estate footsteps, she worked for her father in property management, then managed her properties after her parents’ deaths.
Gladyne enjoyed traveling and learning other languages, fine dining and wine, and helping others. Well-known in San Francisco society, she was a patron of the arts and a generous benefactor of many charities and organizations, saying “I give to things that I love.” Among those in San Francisco who were recipients of her largesse were the symphony, opera, museums, hospitals, historical preservation, educating underprivileged children, and feeding the hungry in San Francisco.
According to her devoted family and friends, Gladyne was a “class act” who loved art, jewelry, antiques, and beautiful things. Her enthusiasm for fine jewelry developed later in her life, acquiring exceptional pieces from visits to the Italy she loved; Las Vegas, where she enjoyed numerous shows; and favorite jewelry shops in San Francisco.
Those who share Gladyne’s refined taste for stunning jewelry are sure to enjoy perusing and acquiring these outstanding items at auction.
Here below are some highlights of the upcoming online sale (please see lot details in the online catalog):
Lot 49: Van Cleef & Arpels, A Diamond and 18k Gold Necklace. Feather motif, set with 25 round brilliant-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 2.90 carats; signed Van Cleef & Arpels NY4V43-6; weighing approximately 69.75 grams; length: 14 3/4 in. Estimate $8,000-$12,000.
Lot 50: Breguet Reine de Naples Automatic 18k Gold Wristwatch. Ref. 8928, 2826AK, oval case, diamond and mother-of-pearl dial, bezel and lugs, 12-hour, self-winding; exhibition case back, gold link bracelet with deployant clasp, sapphire crystal; estimated total diamond weight: 1.50 carats; width: 25mm; fits 5 3/4 in. wrist with extra links; weighing 93.90 grams. Estimate $8,000-$12,000.
Lot 31: A Diamond, Gem-Set and Platinum Bracelet. The tutti frutti style link bracelet set throughout with square, European and old single-cut diamonds, accented by calibre-cut synthetic rubies, emerald and onyx; estimated total diamond weight: 15.00 carats; weighing approximately 74.12 grams; length: 6 1/2in.; width: 1in. Estimate $8,000-$12,000.
Lot 46: A Freshwater Cultured Pearl, Diamond and 18k Gold Necklace. The triple strand necklace composed of freshwater cultured pearls, completed by a fully detachable stylized wind motif clasp set with round brilliant-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 0.80 carat; with 14k gold findings; signed Renee; weighing approximately 143.58 grams; length: 25-28 in. Estimate $1,000-$1,500.
Lot 2: Fred Leighton, A Diamond and 18k White Gold Band. The wide eternity band centering a row of baguette-cut diamonds, framed on both sides with round brilliant-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 5.70 carats; with maker’s mark; weighing approximately 11.06 grams; size: 7 (void two stones). Estimate $1,800-$2,500.
Lot 45: Seaman Schepps, A Mammoth Tusk & Diamond Cuff Bracelet. The 18k white gold ‘Rigate’ hinged bangle bracelet, carved of mammoth tusk, and accented by numerous rounds brilliant-cut diamonds; total diamond weight: 2.86 carats; signed Seaman Schepps, ref. no. #21034, with signed box and original receipt; weighing approx. 111.28 grams; inner circumference: 5 1/4 in, gap: 3/4 in., width: 1 3/8 in. Estimate $5,000-$7,000.
Lot 30: Breguet Automatic 18k Gold Classique Diamond Wristwatch. Re. 5178, 566 AV, 18k gold on a strap with an 18k gold buckle, automatic movement, sweep second hand, white grand feu enamel dial with Breguet numerals, bezel set with 84 diamonds weighing approximately: 0.63 ct.), date at 3 o’clock, power reserve up to 55 hours, display back, size: 38mm, thickness: 8.25mm, sapphire crystal. Estimate $6,000-$8,000.
Lot 10: A 14k Gold Ram’s Head Necklace. Weighing approximately 101.00 grams; length: 15 in. Estimate $2,000-$3,000.
Lot 28: Mousset a Paris, A gilt Oignon Verge Fusee Keywind Watch. Late 17th century/early 18th century, single hand, enamel Roman numerals, seconds in enameled Arabic numerals, with key; 56mm diameter, thickness: 34mm. Estimate $1,500-$2,500.
Lot 1: A Pair of Diamond, Platinum and 18k White Gold Ear Clips, French. Circa 1935, the paisley-shaped clip earrings featuring tow round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately 0.60 carat each, further accented with 38 round brilliant-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 4.90 carats; with French assay marks; weighing approximately 11.23 grams; length: 1 1/4 in. (minor damage on findings). Estimate $1,800-$2,500.
Lot 48: Jewel House of Minyon, A Diamond and 22k Gold Bracelet. The flexible strap with sun motif clasp, set with numerous round brilliant-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 0.65 carat; weighing approximately 62.14 grams; length: 6 3/4 in., width: 1 5/16 in. The bracelet was handcrafted in northern Turkey for Jewel House of Minyon, by a women’s collective who practice the ancient art of weaving gold. Estimate $1,800-$2,500.
Lot 14: Seaman Schepps, A pair of Turbo Shell, Diamond, Ruby Ear Clips. The 18k gold ear-clips designed with turbo shells encased with 48 round brilliant-cut diamonds, accented above and below with oval ruby cabochon accents; total diamond weight: 2.00 carats; signed Seaman Schepps, no. 16736, with signed box and original receipt; weighing approximately 20.83 grams; measures 1 1/8 x 1 in. Estimate $1,500-$2,500.
Lot 38: A Belle Epoque Diamond, Pearl and Platinum Necklace. The pendant set with old mine, old European, rose and table-cut diamonds, accented by round and button pearls, suspending a drop-shaped pearl measuring approximately 12.0 x 10.0 x 8.0mm, to a detachable seed pearl and platinum chain with white gold clasp; estimated total diamond weight: 4.00 carats; weighing approximately 21.62 grams; length: 16 1/2 in. (pearls not tested for origin). Estimate $1,500-$2,500.
Lot 20: Lalaounis, A Diamond, Ruby and 18k Gold Bangle. The cuff bracelet with lion’s head terminals, with ruby eyes; weighing approximately 26.33 grams; inner circumference: 6 1/4 in. Estimate $1,000-$1,500.
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ABOUT TURNER AUCTIONS + APPRAISALS
Based in South San Francisco, Turner Auctions + Appraisals was founded by Stephen Turner to expand and complement the capabilities of Stephen G. Turner Associates,an auction and appraisal consulting firm founded in 2004.Turner Auctions + Appraisals presents online auctions in diverse categories of personal property (www.turnerauctionsonline.com). Among them are Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, Asian Arts, Toys, Jewelry, Militaria, Ethnic Arts, and others. The company offers a range of auction and appraisal services for buyers, sellers, and collectors. Online auctions are held several times a month. Working with leading live and online auction houses on the West Coast since 1991, Turner is a professional appraiser of personal property and seasoned auctioneer. His areas of expertise include fine art, decorative arts, antiques & residential contents.
The company welcomes consignments and appraisals.
For more information about the company, please contact:
Stephen Turner, President
Turner Auctions + Appraisals, 461 Littlefield Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080
